Auscultation relates to the listening of internal sounds within the body, and is performed for purposes of examining the circulatory system, respiratory system, as well as gastrointestinal system within a human or animal body. Auscultation may also be performed on a mechanical body, such as listening to the engine of a vehicle.
Auscultation is typically performed by using a stethoscope, which captures sound from a body through a diaphragm or bell. When the diaphragm or bell is placed directly against the body, it receives sound vibrations from therein, that then create acoustic pressure waves which travel up the tubing to a listener's ears.
One problem with traditional acoustic stethoscopes however, is the low sound volume and quality, due to a loss of signal when vibrations are transmitted between materials of different mechanical properties, i.e. the resonating human or animal body and the diaphragm or bell of the stethoscope. These different mechanical properties, such as density, impedance, vibration transmission speed, etc., affect the sound signal differently as it travels from the body to the stethoscope.
Another problem arises in high noise environments, for example, such as auscultation by a medical personnel in an ambulance or helicopter. In these types of situations, external noise will interfere with the diaphragm or bell of a stethoscope, which may either drown out or otherwise affect the auscultation sounds.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to accurately capture or acquire acoustic information from within a resonating body, while minimizing the loss of signal from transference between the body and the stethoscope, as well as noise interference from the external environment.